Sacramento State sows plans for Earth Day

Barbara Strong’s “Walk Gently on the Earth” will be displayed as part of the Earth Day art exhibit.

Sacramento State’s Earth Day observance will encompass the last half of April and beyond with a variety of activities celebrating the planet through May Day.

The celebration kicks off with a free exhibition, “Art with the Earth in Mind,” in Kadema Hall’s Witt Gallery. Curated by Sue Anne Foster, the show features 27 pieces and runs April 14-18 with a closing reception at 5 p.m., Friday, April 18. Gallery hours are noon to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Sacramento’s main event, hosted by the Environmental Council of Sacramento and Friends of ECOS, will be held at Southside Park, 8th and W streets, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, April 20. The day begins with a contra dance demonstration presented by the Sacramento Contra Dance Society and continues with performances throughout the afternoon by Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, Paloma Negra, and Crazy Ballhead. There will be food and dozens of displays, booths and activities for all ages, including environmentally friendly products, community organizations, hands-on arts and crafting, and a wellness grove. The entire event will be powered by solar and biodiesel generators. Visitors can also shop at the weekly Farmers Market across W Street.

Sacramento State’s Environmental Student Organization continues the University’s observance through May Day. ESO will have a booth and live music in the Library Quad from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 21 and 22.

Angus Wright, Sacramento State’s professor emeritus of environmental studies, will speak at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 24, in the University Union’s Hinde Auditorium. His topic is “This is the time—Building a New Environmental Movement.” Wright is a co-founder of the Environmental Studies program at Sacramento State and the author of The Death of Ramon Gonzalez: The Modern Agricultural Dilemma.

Oil on Ice, a movie written by Stephen Mose about the controversies surrounding proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, will be screened from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in the University Union’s Delta Suite. The film includes firsthand information on the Gwich’in Native Americans and their perspective on the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The screening includes an introduction by Mose and a reception after the movie.

For more information on the art exhibit, go to safoster@csus.edu. For details on the University’s Earth Day events, contact professor Michelle Stevens at stevensm@csus.edu, or (916) 278-2914. For media assistance, call Sacramento State’s Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.